Preview — You Think That's Bad
by Jim Shepard

You Think That's Bad

Following Like You’d Understand, Anyway—awarded the Story Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award—Jim Shepard returns with an even more wildly diverse collection of astonishingly observant stories. Like an expert curator, he populates the vastness of human experience—from its bizarre fringes and lonely, breathtaking pinnacles to the hopelessly mediocre and desperaFollowing Like You’d Understand, Anyway—awarded the Story Prize and a finalist for the National Book Award—Jim Shepard returns with an even more wildly diverse collection of astonishingly observant stories. Like an expert curator, he populates the vastness of human experience—from its bizarre fringes and lonely, breathtaking pinnacles to the hopelessly mediocre and desperately below average—with brilliant scientists, reluctant soldiers, workaholic artists, female explorers, depraved murderers, and deluded losers, all wholly convincing and utterly fascinating.

A “black world” operative at Los Alamos isn’t allowed to tell his wife anything about his daily activities, but he can’t resist sharing her intimate confidences with his work buddy. A young Alpine researcher falls in love with the girlfriend of his brother, who was killed in an avalanche he believes he caused. An unlucky farm boy becomes the manservant of a French nobleman who’s as proud of his military service with Joan of Arc as he’s aroused by the slaughter of children. A free-spirited autodidact, grieving her lost sister, traces the ancient steps of a ruthless Middle Eastern sect and becomes the first Western woman to travel the Arabian deserts. From the inventor of the Godzilla epics to a miserable G.I. in New Guinea, each comes to realize that knowing better is never enough.

Enthralling and unfailingly compassionate, You Think That’s Bad traverses centuries, continents, and social strata, but the joy and struggle that Shepard depicts with such devastating sensitivity—all the heartbreak, alienation, intimacy, and accomplishment—has a universal resonance....more

Community Reviews

One doesn’t so much read a Jim Shepard story as dive into his infectiously delicious prose. If you’ve enjoyed his previous novels or story collections than you’re no doubt thrilled at the publication of his latest, //You Think That’s Bad.// And if you’ve not yet had the pleasure, well then consider yourself graced by good fortune and avail take opportunity to immerse yourself in his spectacular imagination.

Other writers to often settle for remaining in their comfort zone; by contrast Shepard staOne doesn’t so much read a Jim Shepard story as dive into his infectiously delicious prose. If you’ve enjoyed his previous novels or story collections than you’re no doubt thrilled at the publication of his latest, //You Think That’s Bad.// And if you’ve not yet had the pleasure, well then consider yourself graced by good fortune and avail take opportunity to immerse yourself in his spectacular imagination.

Other writers to often settle for remaining in their comfort zone; by contrast Shepard stand out for bold leaps in genre, style, and voice, bringing his empathic spirit to topics few others would tackle. . Consider his novel, “Project X,” which pushed past the shallow moral outrage that followed the Columbine tragedy and explored a school shooting from the perspective of the perpetrators. Indeed, in addition to his deep research, his black sense of humor, and his gift for characterization, it is his deep pathos, his easy rapport with the exotic, which chimes through this author’s work.

The string which binds the stories in//You Think That’s Bad// is that empathy ladled onto our common existential tragedy – sure you are alone, struggling, and going to die, but at least we’re all in it together. We all want to understand and to be understood. All of us want to be loved. Not that many of us – or Shepard’s characters for that matter – achieve these goals. Many, perhaps most, of those inhabiting these stories aren’t particularly nice, indeed they often range from the damaged to the outright cruel, but they are all in their own way familiar, even while being impossibly alien.

Real life explorer Freya Stark flees her egomaniacal mother, whose machinations have led to her sister Vera’s death, to search the Persian wastes for Alamut, the lost citadel of the Assassins. The creator/effect artist of Gojira (Godzilla) must balance his troubled marriage, post-war Japanese culture, and the pain of his past against his need to create something unique. As Papua New Guinea tries to kill a soldier in World War II, he struggles with a love triangle back home, one leg of which is his own brother. A peasant in 15th Century France finds himself bound in service to the infamous child murderer, Gilles de Rais.

Part of the delight in Shepard’s work is how he helps us inhabit these dispirit milieus, to get to know and feel for these distant characters, even as he deftly layers in an array of fascinating details. Ever wonder about how the Netherlands will manage to hold back the ocean against global climate change? Might you be curious to learn that the Godzilla costume was so broiling that the actor needed to be removed from it every fifteen minutes and that each time over a cup of sweat was drained from each boots? Or perhaps you’re curious what it is like to be married to an engineer working in the black world of secret military research?

Yes, Shepard answers all these questions and more; he is a sort of time-hopping sorcerous prose genius with a gift for research. Yet he isn’t a writer who feels the need to batter us with facts. Settings and factoids always, always here work to uncover a sense of something true and universal, even as they aid in his telling of a great story. More than anything that may be the source of Shepard’s genius, the ability to take the most alien of people in the most unimaginable places and demonstrate how, despite vast chasms of distance and time, we are all far more alike than we are different. We struggle, we strive, and we all enjoy a great tale when it is well told. On that last score, few writers can hold a quill or a candle to the great Jim Shepard. ...more

Is there any kind of story Jim Shepard’s not capable of writing? Here is his common formula, one that always works beautifully, astonishingly, and often both: choose a time, place, or topic that few fiction writers have jumped into (for example, Tokyo film production in the 50’s, Swiss avalanche researchers in the late 30’s, the muddy agony of wartime Papua New Guinea); read exhaustively the best histories available about the selected topics; and then combine a writer’s interpretation of the timIs there any kind of story Jim Shepard’s not capable of writing? Here is his common formula, one that always works beautifully, astonishingly, and often both: choose a time, place, or topic that few fiction writers have jumped into (for example, Tokyo film production in the 50’s, Swiss avalanche researchers in the late 30’s, the muddy agony of wartime Papua New Guinea); read exhaustively the best histories available about the selected topics; and then combine a writer’s interpretation of the time period with the emotional turmoil of characters both real and imagined. Unleash uncertainty, heartbreak, and/or chaos, and bam: there is your Jim Shepard story.

In many ways, You Think That’s Bad echoes Shepard’s last collection, Like You’d Understand, Anyway, which was a National Book Award finalist. Reading it is like playing Russian roulette with geography and time, and its characters often find themselves torn between commitment to their relationships and the itch of ambition. Set in the near-future, “Netherlands Lives with Water” explores what happens to a Dutch water engineer and his family when the mother of all storms hits the country. “Gojira, King of the Monsters,” which is maybe the most novelistic of the stories, follows the creator of Godzilla as he becomes consumed by his work, only to watch his family fall apart. There’s also “Boys Town,” narrated by a down-and-out war veteran who’s about to become dangerously unhinged; it’s narratively the least showy piece in the collection and also one of the most haunting.

Readers will be most blindsided, though, by “Classical Scenes of Farewell,” a horrifying, stunning 23 pages set in 1400’s France. I will say no more, except that it’s one of the best mash-ups of history and fiction I’ve read in a long time. Read it and be reminded of the sheer pleasure of watching the unfolding of Shepard’s imagination, which literally knows no bounds....more

Well, hurray for this guy. He was bold and ambitious in taking on the range of characters / times / places he did. I've always thought it was odd that there seem to be so few short stories set in any time period other than our own. This is an encouraging reminder that it can be done.

Nevertheless, the stories suffer from a certain sameness. Shepard's efforts to write in different registers and voices fall a bit flat, and the domestic trajectories central to virtually every story are predictable.Well, hurray for this guy. He was bold and ambitious in taking on the range of characters / times / places he did. I've always thought it was odd that there seem to be so few short stories set in any time period other than our own. This is an encouraging reminder that it can be done.

Nevertheless, the stories suffer from a certain sameness. Shepard's efforts to write in different registers and voices fall a bit flat, and the domestic trajectories central to virtually every story are predictable. The prose, while lucid, is no more than workmanlike.

In my view, the author's concept and aspirations for this collection are more interesting than the results. The book's worth reading, but there's no need to rush out and grab a copy....more

Really really good. First I've read of Shepard, won't be the last. A great mix of humor and pathos—these stories seem to be doing exactly what the author intends them to do. Just total control of the language. Also an insane amt. of research clearly goes into these pieces, though the research is all background, not the focus. Sometimes things feel a tad samey, like male-in-difficult-situation-woman-waiting-at-home-for-him, be it war or mountain climbing or whatever, but hey. Still a fantastic coReally really good. First I've read of Shepard, won't be the last. A great mix of humor and pathos—these stories seem to be doing exactly what the author intends them to do. Just total control of the language. Also an insane amt. of research clearly goes into these pieces, though the research is all background, not the focus. Sometimes things feel a tad samey, like male-in-difficult-situation-woman-waiting-at-home-for-him, be it war or mountain climbing or whatever, but hey. Still a fantastic collection. A couple stories were a bit boring, like one set in 1440, but that's okay. ...more

I know that this doesn't speak to the quality of the writing, per se, but I really admire/an in awe of Shepard's research as well as his ability to claim authority over such a wide variety of settings and timeframes. I think "The Netherlands Lives With Water" is the first of his stories that I've read set in near-future and I was utterly convinced. Most of the others I've read are set in the past, and he seems to be able to tackle any time period or location. I read "Your Fate Hurdles Down at YoI know that this doesn't speak to the quality of the writing, per se, but I really admire/an in awe of Shepard's research as well as his ability to claim authority over such a wide variety of settings and timeframes. I think "The Netherlands Lives With Water" is the first of his stories that I've read set in near-future and I was utterly convinced. Most of the others I've read are set in the past, and he seems to be able to tackle any time period or location. I read "Your Fate Hurdles Down at You" in some prize collection (O Henry, maybe?) and besides the fact that it's a heartbreaking story, it changed the way I thought about writing with authority. (Not to mention the fact that I was researching an avalanche story of my own, read this and thought: oh, well. Forget it.)Boys Town was the odd one out for me, a bit more sentimental than the rest. I personally prefer those stories that are based in world with which I am unfamiliar. Incredibly strong collection. One of my favorites. Add in Zero Meter Diving Team from one of his earlier books and it would be perfect....more

jim shephard continues to prove that he is one of, if not THE, best living short story writers in america. i prefer him over tobias wolff, george saunders, richard ford, etc. shephard is so protean in his approach that it shocks me every time. he has such great command over vastly different voices: from a secretive skunk works employee, to the vicious gilles de rais, to a stunningly effective futuristic take on climate change and how it's massive changes will only serve to show us familiar we wijim shephard continues to prove that he is one of, if not THE, best living short story writers in america. i prefer him over tobias wolff, george saunders, richard ford, etc. shephard is so protean in his approach that it shocks me every time. he has such great command over vastly different voices: from a secretive skunk works employee, to the vicious gilles de rais, to a stunningly effective futuristic take on climate change and how it's massive changes will only serve to show us familiar we will still be. i'm just never dissappointed by this guys work and rejoice at the release of any of his collections. highly recommended!...more

I read this ages ago and forgot to review, because I found it a bit forgettable, although I see others are raving about it. The scope of the various stories is wide and rich, though most dwell on the working relationships of (some odd types of) teams, and the possible lack of resolution to many satisfyingly modernist, but it left me rather unimpressed. Rereading it is not out of the question (one of the shorter pieces I read through without getting the slightest idea what it was about) but I didI read this ages ago and forgot to review, because I found it a bit forgettable, although I see others are raving about it. The scope of the various stories is wide and rich, though most dwell on the working relationships of (some odd types of) teams, and the possible lack of resolution to many satisfyingly modernist, but it left me rather unimpressed. Rereading it is not out of the question (one of the shorter pieces I read through without getting the slightest idea what it was about) but I didn't care enough to try it again. I'm not denying that there's some depth... I think Freya was my favourite, though perhaps also the most straightforward....more

“The map was from the Survey of India series, four miles to the inch, and manifested its inaccuracy even in the few features it cited” (21).“For one stretch we had to unload their saddlebags and drag them by the halter ropes while Aziz shouted into their ears distressing facts about their parentage” (22).“Dip your foot in the water and here's what you're playing with: Xiphactinus, all angry underbite and knitting-needle teeth, with heads oddly humped and eyes enraged with accusation, and ribbone“The map was from the Survey of India series, four miles to the inch, and manifested its inaccuracy even in the few features it cited” (21).“For one stretch we had to unload their saddlebags and drag them by the halter ropes while Aziz shouted into their ears distressing facts about their parentage” (22).“Dip your foot in the water and here's what you're playing with: Xiphactinus, all angry underbite and knitting-needle teeth, with heads oddly humped and eyes enraged with accusation, and ribboned bodies so muscular they fracture coral heads when surging through to bust in on insufficiently alert pods of juvenile Clidastes, who spin around to face an oncoming maw that's in a perpetual state of homicidal resentment” (34).“But he's the kind of guy given to building tall towers of self-pity and then watching them sway” (36).“Exasperation makes him close up shop like a night-blooming flower” (36).“Years ago she had a traffic mirror mounted outside on the frame to let her spy on the street unobserved” (47).“Along the new athletic complex in the distance, sapphire-blue searchlights are lancing up into the rain at even intervals, like meteorological harp strings” (56).“The mid-day sun raised blisters on an arm in ten minutes” (67).“We were told to splash or make noise when crossing the creek, because the aborigines said it was happy with crocodiles” (74).“The last time we saw him he was trying to open a can of apricots with a bayonet” (76-77).“You couldn't talk to our mom about it. She was so upset the cat refused to come out of the cellar” (78).“Willi said it was one of those rare places where nothing could be grown or sold, that the world had produced exclusively for someone's happiness” (95).“By May, scraps from the two missing children poked through the spring melt like budding plants...” (98).“It's not normal. The longer you go by yourself the weirder you get, and the weirder you get the longer you go by yourself. It's a loop and you gotta do something to get out of it” (157). *This does not bode well for me.“...Boys Town, the movie where Spencer Tracy's the priest and Mickey Rooney's the tough kid who goes straight because he gets a new baseball glove or smells some home-cooked bread or some fucking thing” (159). *A strange collection of stories, some I found incredible (“Happy with Crocodiles” and “Boys Town”); some I wish I'd never read (“Classical Scenes of Farewell). Although I felt I was slogging though at some points, the odd turn of phrase or sentence that delighted helped make the journey worthwhile. Still, if half stars were available, I'd probably give this a 2.5.

So as some of you may know by now, I'm not a fan of short stories. I feel like if a story and an author are good enough, it should be a novel (or at least a novella). A 15-25 page story is just a summary, an outline of an idea that is underdone or something that is just so flimsy it shouldn't be written in the first place. And, I hate having to get into a story again every 20ish pages. So, the best possible rating for a book of short stories is a 4 star...so this one ain't bad.

Several of the revSo as some of you may know by now, I'm not a fan of short stories. I feel like if a story and an author are good enough, it should be a novel (or at least a novella). A 15-25 page story is just a summary, an outline of an idea that is underdone or something that is just so flimsy it shouldn't be written in the first place. And, I hate having to get into a story again every 20ish pages. So, the best possible rating for a book of short stories is a 4 star...so this one ain't bad.

Several of the reviews on goodreads talk about the amazing creativity of Shepard. I agree, to a point. Yes, his characters and settings appear to be very diverse, but that (I would propose) is the point of this collection. The thing that makes these stories a collection (and not just a book of stories, good for you Shepard) is that they all encompass two (or more) of these ten theme/motifs: weapons/army munitions development or usage; depression/dissatisfaction; tedium of married life; husband/father as emotionally distant and/or physically gone; extreme weather conditions (snow/ice, deserts, rain); one brother taking advantage of another's innocence; war; cows; dead children; disappointed fathers. I know it sounds like a big list, but most of the stories have several of these and I think ultimately Shepard's point is the opposite of Tolsoy's: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." In this case, we are all dysfunctional in similar ways.

There were also several quotes that I found amusing or interesting:"I answered that the discontented were the least capable of living with only themselves, since the same goad that drove them to isolation would spoil their solitude as well. The true traveler left not to renounce but to seek."

"But we look on everyone's transformations as fluid except our own."

"Remember when you told me that the one thing physics teaches you is that the reality you think you observe doesn't have much to do with the reality that's out there?"

"People talk about, Oh this kid's sick and that kid's bipolar and this and that and I always say, Well, does he piss all over himself? And the answer's always no. That's because he chooses to go to the bathroom. Because he knows better. He controls himself. People control what they do."

"The difference between us and addicts was that you never got us to admit that anything was wrong with what we loved to do."

Overall, it wasn't a bad read. Personally, I did not care for a few of the stories (at the end of March living in WI I am really rather done with ice and snow and don't want to read about it), but I recognize their worth and Shepard's overarching argument....more

Almost a year after reading this two stories from the collection stick with me. The first one in the line-up, Minotaur, I initially identified with the most. I read it three times before I was done with it. But the title story, about a vet of a recent war returning to a civilian situation that is like throwing a lit match on the gasoline of his PTSD, is the one that I can't get out of my head. Especially this quote.

"You get lonely, is what it is. A person's not supposed to go through life withAlmost a year after reading this two stories from the collection stick with me. The first one in the line-up, Minotaur, I initially identified with the most. I read it three times before I was done with it. But the title story, about a vet of a recent war returning to a civilian situation that is like throwing a lit match on the gasoline of his PTSD, is the one that I can't get out of my head. Especially this quote.

"You get lonely, is what it is. A person's not supposed to go through life with absolutely nobody. It's not normal. The longer you go by yourself the weirder you get, and the weirder you get the longer you go by yourself. It's a loop and you gotta do something to get out of it."

I've seen the world, especially those sitting on the fringes of life, differently since I read the story You Think That's Bad. Making a stranger see the world differently after only a few thousand words of your writing is a feat and now I will always take a look at Jim Shepard's work if I see it.

The longer stories were harder. I could tell the author had put a lot of work into them, but they just didn't have the same magic as the two that have stayed with me....more

"In those last few nights with her, I spent what time we had let trying to recover the irrecoverable with only my presence. I wanted to believe that nothing had been lost of what we had shared so many years before. But we look on everyone's transformations as fluid except our own. 'Dress them up as you like, but they will always run away,' the King of Naples is reported to have said of his inadequate soldiers. The mother I trusted, the Vera I loved, the woman I imagined myself to be: all of thos"In those last few nights with her, I spent what time we had let trying to recover the irrecoverable with only my presence. I wanted to believe that nothing had been lost of what we had shared so many years before. But we look on everyone's transformations as fluid except our own. 'Dress them up as you like, but they will always run away,' the King of Naples is reported to have said of his inadequate soldiers. The mother I trusted, the Vera I loved, the woman I imagined myself to be: all of those phantoms have clip-clopped into limbo."

"When I told my dad we were getting married, his way of putting it was, "Well, it could work for a short while, if everything breaks right.'"

"...Nowhere in which he chose to dwell was the abode of perfect focus."

"You get lonely, is what it is. A person's not supposed to go through life with absolutely nobody. It's not normal. The longer you go by yourself the weirder you get, and the weirder you get the longer you go by yourself. It's a loop and you gotta do something to get out of it."

"They say whatever your worst memory is, you see it again most often right before you sleep. I climb because once I go back down, the world while I recover is easier for me. Agnieszka's eyes and mouth become again my garden and our entangled sleep my chair in the sun."...more

I devoured this book. These are incredibly well-researched short stories. The situations are from the far corners of reality: Avalanche researchers in 1930s Switzerland; physicists working projects on a supercollider; hapless Lake States soldiers thrown against Japanese forces (if they and their equipment don't rot in the jungle of Papua); an impulsive young man stumbling on the path from deadbeat father and layabout to rampaging survivalist. Three are world-class: speculative fiction about howI devoured this book. These are incredibly well-researched short stories. The situations are from the far corners of reality: Avalanche researchers in 1930s Switzerland; physicists working projects on a supercollider; hapless Lake States soldiers thrown against Japanese forces (if they and their equipment don't rot in the jungle of Papua); an impulsive young man stumbling on the path from deadbeat father and layabout to rampaging survivalist. Three are world-class: speculative fiction about how European nations will fend with increased floods brought about by climate change; a Victorian adventuress who wants to uncover a lost city in Persia; and a look into the making of the original Godzilla movie, which was done quick and cheap but reflected Japanese experiences not just of World War II but of Tokyo's huge earthquake of the 1920s.

So what's not to love? I was sad when most of these stories ended--I wanted them to go on. But, as fascinating as Shepard's protagonists can be, their personalities cover only a narrow range. Many are self-destructive in similar ways, and many are in similar predicaments with their loved ones. Several stories here wrap up in just about the same way, and told in the same tone. Considering the brilliant variety of subject matter and starting points, the endings as a set earn a mixed grade.

In an odd way, these stories are throwbacks to a time when readers picked up books to discover a little more about fascinating aspects of history, foreign cultures, daring vocations and avocations. Yes Shepard is fully up to date in subject choices, and his characters are good fits for a post-ironic age. I've got to try some more of this author--and soon!...more

My advice would be to skip the first four stories (and especially the first), which simply aren't on par with the rest of the collection. Those four stories (with the possible slight exception of the second, "The Track of the Assassins") aren't much distinguished from the sort of clunky, obvious efforts you'd see in an average literary journal, and they don't do anything to support the idea (which you often hear advanced) that ShepaI'd give this 3.5 stars if you could do half-stars on Goodreads.

My advice would be to skip the first four stories (and especially the first), which simply aren't on par with the rest of the collection. Those four stories (with the possible slight exception of the second, "The Track of the Assassins") aren't much distinguished from the sort of clunky, obvious efforts you'd see in an average literary journal, and they don't do anything to support the idea (which you often hear advanced) that Shepard is one of the best short story writers working today.

I can't say I'm super crazy about the rest of the collection, but the last 7 stories are all more than worth reading, and "Your Fate Hurtles Down at You" and "Boys Town" are really, really good. Shepard is an amazing line-by-line writer, there's no waste or laziness in his best stories, and "Poland Is Watching" (about a group of Polish mountaineers winter-climbing in the Himalayas) is probably the best example of what I mean. What he does visually and aurally with that environment is dauntingly impressive.

Generally, the stories feel over-researched to me--Shepard lists two entire, numbing pages of background reading in the Acknowledgments--and it's not a stretch to say that he's written the same story over and over through all 11 pieces. Every story documents some extreme state attained (consciously or unconsciously) by the main character, always at the cost of love and community, usually in the service of some expertise or art. If that story arc (which is probably an analogy to the writer's craft) interests you, you'll be in tune with the collection; if not, you'll be worn down by the inevitable separation, loneliness, extremity, and death....more

Until I read this book, I hadn't realized how much the authors I generally read tend to limit themselves when it came to characters and settings. In fact, I hadn't really thought about that at all. And then I read these stories, most of which are set outside of the United States and many of which are not set in the late 20th century/early 21st century, and suddenly those limitations have become painfully evident.

Maybe the reason why you don't see it that often is because of the tremendous amountUntil I read this book, I hadn't realized how much the authors I generally read tend to limit themselves when it came to characters and settings. In fact, I hadn't really thought about that at all. And then I read these stories, most of which are set outside of the United States and many of which are not set in the late 20th century/early 21st century, and suddenly those limitations have become painfully evident.

Maybe the reason why you don't see it that often is because of the tremendous amount of research necessary to bring unfamiliar cultures, time periods and landscapes to life. Shepard's acknowledgement/resources page is evidence of how much extra work this kind of writing requires, how it's not enough to spend time hibernating within your imagination, stewing in your own experiences - at least, not if you are going to do it right.

But oh, how that extra effort is worth it! The cumulative result of all of the stories in all of those settings is the realization that, even though we may be separated by time and culture and geography, the experience of being human - what it means to love, to feel pain, to cause pain, to feel desperately alone, to feel driven by deep-seated compulsions that no sense of duty can override - these are things that have not changed much.

Not only are the stories sensitively written, but they are so textured, so full of subtext and ideas, they practically demand they be read and re-read. There is no way a single reading, even an attentive one, is enough to capture all of that.

I would recommend this book to just about anyone. I enjoyed it that much. Even the stories that were not so excellent - and there were a couple - were still worth reading....more

Some stories are more interesting than others here, but I really have not read anything by this man that I haven't liked. As usual, there are startling moments of humor in sad stories. I don't know if it's my personal life but the first few stories here had me on the verge of weeping. This from "Minotaur" when a wife discovers, after a devastating betrayal, that she doesn't know her husband. From husband's POV:

"She thought she'd put up with however many years of stonewalling for a good reason, aSome stories are more interesting than others here, but I really have not read anything by this man that I haven't liked. As usual, there are startling moments of humor in sad stories. I don't know if it's my personal life but the first few stories here had me on the verge of weeping. This from "Minotaur" when a wife discovers, after a devastating betrayal, that she doesn't know her husband. From husband's POV:

"She thought she'd put up with however many years of stonewalling for a good reason, and she'd just figured out that as far as Castle Hubby went, she hadn't even crossed the moat yet.

Because here's the thing we hadn't talked about, nose to nose on our pillows in the dark: how 'I've never been closer to anyone' isn't the same as 'We're so close.'"

I don't know what that thing is about his observations and prose that lays waste to me, but I'm glad he does. He's a good reminder for people like myself who crave STORY that in the midst of crazy circumstances like the creation of the phenomenon of Gojira, like ensuring the Netherlands doesn't become Atlantis, like the workaday lives of black ops defense contractors, humans and their experiences are really what is interesting. Read it....more

You Think That's Bad is a collection of short stories from one of my favorite writers, Jim Shepard. There are eleven stories in the collection, ten of which were previously published in The Atlantic, McSweeney's, The New Yorker, and Electric Literature among other. It is an interesting collection of stories, taking on inadequacy, desperation, loss, heartbreak, love, and alienation.

Take "Minotaur," previously published in Playboy, which takes on the secret world of black operations research and d

You Think That's Bad is a collection of short stories from one of my favorite writers, Jim Shepard. There are eleven stories in the collection, ten of which were previously published in The Atlantic, McSweeney's, The New Yorker, and Electric Literature among other. It is an interesting collection of stories, taking on inadequacy, desperation, loss, heartbreak, love, and alienation.

Take "Minotaur," previously published in Playboy, which takes on the secret world of black operations research and development, but at the same time takes on life and love:

Everyone involved with it obsesses about it all the time. Even what the insiders know about it is incomplete. Whatever stories you do get arrive without context. What’s not inconclusive is enigmatic, what’s not enigmatic is unreliable, and what’s not unreliable is quixotic. pg. 10

or "The Track of the Assassins," which is about a woman that leaves her family and home behind in order to travel through the Middle East:

Everyone involved with it obsesses about it all the time. Even what the insiders know about it is incomplete. Whatever stories you do get arrive without context. What’s not inconclusive is enigmatic, what’s not enigmatic is unreliable, and what’s not unreliable is quixotic. pg. 13

The stories in the collection cover a lot of ground, taking place in various countries and settings around the world and also going as far back as the 1440s in Paris. "Classical Scenes of Farewell" takes place in 1440s Paris as a young man falls under the hand of a sadistic Lord and helps murder young children.But Etienne, while trying to understand the deeds he does in the name of his Master, also struggles with love:

All I desired, morning in and evening out, was a love with its arms thrown wide. But the contrary is the common lot, everyone’s family telling him furiously that everything hurts, always. The nest makes the bird. pg. 176

You Think That's Bad is a strong collection of stories and highlights Shepard's writing very well. All of the stories are connected through common themes, but are very different from one another: black operations research and development, high altitude mountain climbing in the winter, serial killing in the 1440s, and the Netherlands as it struggles with a growing water problem.

You Think That's Bad is a selection of The Rumpus Book Club and comes out March 22, 2011 so be sure to check it out.

This was a wildly creative batch of short stories by an author I'd never read before. He's extremely talented at jumping into different voices and characters and I don't know how he does it--it would be interesting to hear where he gets his ideas. He went from an American ex-military private with severe PTSD, to a serial killer/pedophile medieval French lord (seriously! This is what I mean by wildly creative), to the creator of Godzilla, etc. Having said that, I found the stories hit-or-miss, anThis was a wildly creative batch of short stories by an author I'd never read before. He's extremely talented at jumping into different voices and characters and I don't know how he does it--it would be interesting to hear where he gets his ideas. He went from an American ex-military private with severe PTSD, to a serial killer/pedophile medieval French lord (seriously! This is what I mean by wildly creative), to the creator of Godzilla, etc. Having said that, I found the stories hit-or-miss, and some I found myself skimming through. But that's the beauty of short story collections--if you hit one you don't like, you can either skip it, or know it'll be done with quickly.

One common theme for this author seems to be scientific topics. There was a story about avalanches, and another about Dutch dam technology, and these stories seemed to be extremely well-researched. If you like scientific topics, you might really enjoy these stories, but if you don't, it may be too much detail for you. Another common theme that cropped up in at least a few of the stories was the various head-buttings, competitions and envies between brothers, usually told from the point of view of the less-gifted/talented/handsome (or whatever) brother. Interesting.

All told, this was enjoyable but something I might not remember in a year....more

I have to say that jim Shepard is probably my favorite contemporary short story writer. I really enjoyed his previous short story collections, Love & Hydrogen and Like You'd Understand Anyway. But You Think That's Bad is probably his best to date. One thing i like about his fiction is that he often does extensive research into a subject to write a historically realistic story that has a universal message about love, life, and death. For example, one of my favorites is is called "Happy With CI have to say that jim Shepard is probably my favorite contemporary short story writer. I really enjoyed his previous short story collections, Love & Hydrogen and Like You'd Understand Anyway. But You Think That's Bad is probably his best to date. One thing i like about his fiction is that he often does extensive research into a subject to write a historically realistic story that has a universal message about love, life, and death. For example, one of my favorites is is called "Happy With Crocodiles" about a US soldier fighting in Paupa New Guinea in WWII who recounts his relationship with his girl back home while fighting in the dreary conditions of the South Pacific. As he reevaluates the relationship, he realizes that has been complicated by his older brother's inclusion in the picture. In the afterword Shepard lists dozens of books that helped him with several stories in the collection. Another example can be seen in the story "The Netherlands Lives With Water," where a man tries to save his family from breaking up and the world from destruction in the near future where glaciers have melted and the flooding threatens man's survival. However, I think my favorite story in the collection was "Boys Town," about a man suffering from post traumatic syndrome, but it is the tone of the language he uses that entertained so much me throughout the story. I think there are a couple of other stories worthy of mention(that being said none of the stories felt like filler or a waste of time while reading): "Minotaur" was another crumbling family narrative about Black Ops agents trying to maintain personal lives-which almost seems like a recurring theme-the is is also the root of the problems with the Polish mountain climbers who leave there families behind to achieve glory climbing the world's tallest mountains (another story that required significant research) in "Poland Is Watching." Then there's "The Track of the Assassins" which is based on a women's journey into Persia at a time when few white men-let alone women ventured into such places, that also required significant research for accurate details. Then there was "Gojira, King of the Monsters" which was based on the life of the creator of Godzilla and blends cultural and historical knowledge with another story of family dysfunction and stands out as one o the stronger stories in the collection. If you haven't read one of his impressive short story collections do yourself a favor and get one-these are very satisfying stories that can be read in one sitting about 20 pages or less per story....more

Another pretty much pitch-perfect collection of short fiction, Jim Shepard's You Think That's Bad once again proves that there are few better at writing compelling stories pulled from a wide variety of sources.

Everyone always remarks upon Shepard's range of material, and for good reason--dude is reading some pretty great (and, in some cases it seems, some pretty arcane) history books, and rendering those into very human stories of longing and, typically, regret. People don't pay enough attentionAnother pretty much pitch-perfect collection of short fiction, Jim Shepard's You Think That's Bad once again proves that there are few better at writing compelling stories pulled from a wide variety of sources.

Everyone always remarks upon Shepard's range of material, and for good reason--dude is reading some pretty great (and, in some cases it seems, some pretty arcane) history books, and rendering those into very human stories of longing and, typically, regret. People don't pay enough attention to his dialog, though, which is often where the most heat in his stories can be found. His characters argue their way around some awful hefty material, but nothing ever feels forced or showy. In many ways, Shepard (who, okay, okay, writes a story about filming Gojira, for heaven's sake) is one of the least showy writers out there. This material in anyone else's hands could go horribly wrong. He's especially good at finding ways to render those pretty well-worn areas of literary fiction--romantic failings, filial strife--into something fresh, something few have heard before.

Admittedly, there were a few collected here that I had some trouble connecting with. The first two in the collection, "Minotaur" and "The Track of the Assassins" seem trivial compared to Shepard's more substantive, or at least more immediately gratifying, efforts. "Your Fate Hurtles Down at You" and "Poland is Watching," his two mountain-narratives, seem especially inspired, and tend to wash out a lot of what surround them. They're just so damn good--perhaps I should have read these with more space between them. As always, there are some curve balls: the surprisingly brief but affecting "Low-Hanging Fruit" (which feels like someone dared him to write a story from a POV of a particle physicist working at the Large Hadron Collider), or the altogether creepy and addictive "Classical Scenes of Farewell," about the mass child murderer, Gilles de Rais. As always, the history contained here, while always a delight in itself, is never the point of any of this; rather, these are very human stories told from a variety of settings and points of view. There's a reason that Shepard's name is always first when I recommend short story authors.

It helps, of course, that Shepard is a damn good sentence-level writer. While not quite the wizard of verbs like his pal Ron Hansen, Shepard finds a fresh description on nearly every page. Just one, from the aforementioned "Classical Scenes," just after de Rais has slit the throat of yet another child after sexually assaulting him: "The blood pooled faster than the bedding could receive it, so when he finally shifted his weight from the boy's chest a stream filled the indentation formed by his knee" (184).

Who knew that Jim Shepard does weather and science (and heartbreak and sadness) so well? My three favorite stories in this (amazingly wonderful) collection are about Swiss avalanche experts ("Your Fate Hurtles Down at You"), Dutch "water sector" workers of the near-future working to ameliorate the effects of global climate change ("The Netherlands Lives with Water"), and Polish winter mountain-climbers ("Poland is Watching"). These are men-(and Freya Stark)-at-work stories, each filled with detaWho knew that Jim Shepard does weather and science (and heartbreak and sadness) so well? My three favorite stories in this (amazingly wonderful) collection are about Swiss avalanche experts ("Your Fate Hurtles Down at You"), Dutch "water sector" workers of the near-future working to ameliorate the effects of global climate change ("The Netherlands Lives with Water"), and Polish winter mountain-climbers ("Poland is Watching"). These are men-(and Freya Stark)-at-work stories, each filled with details and jargon-vocabulary, a pure and poignant back story, and an aggrieved woman at home. Entire worlds within each story. It took me forever (3 days) to read and absorb, because I couldn't begin reading a new story immediately after finishing another. I gave D one to read and he stopped midway -- before diving back into the book -- to assert "this doesn't seem like fiction." Odd remark, but apt. ...more

I didn't want this book to end. I enjoyed the stories over the course of several mornings with a cup of coffee and a dog curled it my feet. Yet each new page took me on an adventure far away. I especially enjoy Shepard's ability to construct the details of complex occupations and I love that he focuses on more than one relationship in a character's life.

A bunch of short stories about people with a depressing negative outlook on life. There is no doubt that the author is talented; however, it is hard to recommend this book. I don't want all my books to be uplifting - but each of these stories is kind of a downer... at least briefly...

Somewhere along In Cretaceous Seas coming into The Netherlands Lives with Water, I somehow thought, "Maybe later...?"

Will not rate this book because while I think the writing might be admirable and the author highly well-read, I just couldn't get into any of the minds of the narratives. So I'm putting down this book and--maybe later.

Mentions of prehistoric creatures in In Cretaceous Seas irritated me at first; I had to search things up and made sure what my mind sees is correct with what the cSomewhere along In Cretaceous Seas coming into The Netherlands Lives with Water, I somehow thought, "Maybe later...?"

Will not rate this book because while I think the writing might be admirable and the author highly well-read, I just couldn't get into any of the minds of the narratives. So I'm putting down this book and--maybe later.

Mentions of prehistoric creatures in In Cretaceous Seas irritated me at first; I had to search things up and made sure what my mind sees is correct with what the creature really is. At the risk of sounding like a simpleton, I think using specialized knowledge in stories can be quite off-putting.

But then I'm a sucker for new information anyway, so after all that image search, everything became quite beautiful and dammit if I'm not impressed. ...more

Good, but not great, and certainly nowhere near as good as "Like You'd Understand." Short story collections tread a fine line--as a reader, I want some degree of unity, but I don't want that unity to bleed over into mere repetition. Unfortunately, I think this book does that, in terms of both voice and themes. There are some gems--the Netherlands/water story particularly stands out--but by the end, although I still enjoyed stories as discrete units, I was almost bored with the collection. WorstGood, but not great, and certainly nowhere near as good as "Like You'd Understand." Short story collections tread a fine line--as a reader, I want some degree of unity, but I don't want that unity to bleed over into mere repetition. Unfortunately, I think this book does that, in terms of both voice and themes. There are some gems--the Netherlands/water story particularly stands out--but by the end, although I still enjoyed stories as discrete units, I was almost bored with the collection. Worst of all, the story that most clearly departs from the others from a stylistic perspective just doesn't work for me; it feels like wannabe Saunders.

So--many of the individual stories are worth reading, but they'd probably benefit from a slow read, interspersed with other material....more

(Please go read them, so we can talk about how perfectly he can sums up the human condition, the duality of how the world destructs us as we destruct ourselves, the beautiful landscapes in every one of his tales, the stories within stories, those endings - like an afterthought - that just destroy you, the way he can shift focus from one person's internal dialogue to the external conditions surrounding them, the way that no story contaiPerfect.

My favorite was "The Netherlands Lives with Water."

(Please go read them, so we can talk about how perfectly he can sums up the human condition, the duality of how the world destructs us as we destruct ourselves, the beautiful landscapes in every one of his tales, the stories within stories, those endings - like an afterthought - that just destroy you, the way he can shift focus from one person's internal dialogue to the external conditions surrounding them, the way that no story contains him yet his voice is so consistent in every word on the page, how a story can be absolutely, utterly flawless and you know that's what he has to offer but are utterly amazed when it happens time and time again.)...more

If you haven't read Jim Shepard, I highly recommend him. I discovered his work last year in a collection of O'Henry Award Winning Stories. That story, "Your Fate Hurtles Down on You" is included in this collection. It is about avalanche researchers in Switzerland in the 1930's. Shepard's incredible research and eye for detail made me an instant fan. Shepard's prose is as powerful as I have ever read, as demonstrated by the opening to "In Cretaceous Seas." I think I have read the opening to thatIf you haven't read Jim Shepard, I highly recommend him. I discovered his work last year in a collection of O'Henry Award Winning Stories. That story, "Your Fate Hurtles Down on You" is included in this collection. It is about avalanche researchers in Switzerland in the 1930's. Shepard's incredible research and eye for detail made me an instant fan. Shepard's prose is as powerful as I have ever read, as demonstrated by the opening to "In Cretaceous Seas." I think I have read the opening to that story a dozen times now. Yes, Shepard's works can be very grim, which is probably why I hesitate at giving this collection five stars. However, Shepard is now one of my very favorite short story authors. ...more

This was a fantastic collection of short stories. Like other reviewers have said, Shephard's ability to slip in and out of different cultures and sub-cultures is amazing. From a writer's perspective, it's obvious he's done his research. From a reader's perspective, it's not - which is what is so amazing. Shepard slips into the vernacular of his characters' worlds (miniature special effects in Japan, secret ops in the U.S., futuristic climate research in the Netherlands) like a second skin, whichThis was a fantastic collection of short stories. Like other reviewers have said, Shephard's ability to slip in and out of different cultures and sub-cultures is amazing. From a writer's perspective, it's obvious he's done his research. From a reader's perspective, it's not - which is what is so amazing. Shepard slips into the vernacular of his characters' worlds (miniature special effects in Japan, secret ops in the U.S., futuristic climate research in the Netherlands) like a second skin, which made reading his short stories feel more like spying; they become that real and fascinating.

I had such a great time with Shepard's previous collection Like You'd Understand, Anyway, I thought I'd love this new collection as well. Either the new has worn off or the previous collection was much better than this one. I do think the stories in Like You'd Understand are generally superior to these, but it also feels like I'm reading the same story over and over. Shepard's amount of research is legendary (He even tells you which books he consulted in the back of the book - an impressive listI had such a great time with Shepard's previous collection Like You'd Understand, Anyway, I thought I'd love this new collection as well. Either the new has worn off or the previous collection was much better than this one. I do think the stories in Like You'd Understand are generally superior to these, but it also feels like I'm reading the same story over and over. Shepard's amount of research is legendary (He even tells you which books he consulted in the back of the book - an impressive list.), but it often seems the research is there only to provide different backdrops to stories of similarly strained relationships. ...more

Shepard was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He received a B.A. at Trinity College in 1978 and an MFA from Brown University in 1980. He currently teaches creative writing and film at Williams College. His wife, Karen Shepard, is also a novelist. They are on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.[1][edit]Writing

Shepard's work has been published in McSweenShepard was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He received a B.A. at Trinity College in 1978 and an MFA from Brown University in 1980. He currently teaches creative writing and film at Williams College. His wife, Karen Shepard, is also a novelist. They are on the editorial board of the literary magazine The Common, based at Amherst College.[1][edit]Writing

Shepard's work has been published in McSweeney's, Granta, The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, Harper's, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Ploughshares,[2] Triquarterly, and Playboy. His short story collection — Like You'd Understand, Anyway — won the Story Prize in 2008, and was nominated for a National Book Award in 2007. The novel Project X won the 2005 Massachusetts Book Award. Along with writing novels and short stories, Shepard has also drafted two screenplays, one about Kenneth Donaldson and the O'Connor v. Donaldson case, and the other a movie adaptation of Project X.Several features characterize Shepard's writings, including a tendency to finish his stories with what Charles Baxter called an "in medias res ending", or an ending in the middle of the plot's events; a thematic focus on what Shepard calls the "costs of certain kinds of ethical passivity"; and a preference for events-driven plots that fight against what Shepard terms "the tyranny of the epiphany", referencing the more psychological, less active plots popularized by short story writers such as James Joyce. Additionally, Shepard writes from the point of view of characters of a wide variety of nationalities.[3]Shepard's stories often rely on substantial historical research based on real events. His recent collection, Like You'd Understand Anyway, includes stories about the Greek playwright Aeschylus, the Chernobyl disaster and the 1964 Alaska earthquake. The collection acknowledges over sixty non-fiction works that helped to shape the historical detail in the stories. Similarly, Shepard's 2011 collection You Think That’s Bad also cites an extensive bibliography, including Avalanches and Snow Safety, The Japanese Earthquake of 1923, Climate Changes and Dutch Water Management, and Satanism and Witchcraft. "Non c'è ritorno" (66thand2nd) is a previously unpublished collection of JIm Shepard's short stories for the Italian market.[3]...more